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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844671">A Legend in My Own Mind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/projekt45/pseuds/projekt45'>projekt45</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Legend: The Quarterback [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Glee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Anxiety, Brain Damage, Character Death, Death, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic, between 5x2 and 5x3, engaged!klaine, ruptured brain anyeursym, stroke, thanks rib, what glee missed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:02:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/projekt45/pseuds/projekt45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What starts as a lazy night in and a marathon of Kurt and Blaine's favorite tv show quickly turns into one of the worst nights of Kurt and Blaine's life after Burt calls them with news about Finn; news that changes both of their lives forever.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel/Burt Hummel, Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Legend: The Quarterback [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875346</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Legend in My Own Mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TW: death, panic/anxiety, grief/mourning, and mentions of brain damage (a ruptured brain aneurysm) and stroke</p><p>Welcome to my first-ever fic! I've been wanting to write fanfic for over five years now, but just recently have finally gathered the confidence to write and post something of my own. This fic was inspired by both the death of my great-grandmother that occurred a little under two years ago and the anniversary of Cory Monteith's death. </p><p>I want to give a huge thank you to Reagh (@kurtelizabxthh on twitter) for helping me piece together this story and giving me the confidence to finally write and post something of my own. I seriously don't think I could've done it without them &lt;3. I'd also like to thank Twenty One Pilots for creating the song "Legend", which I took lyrics from to create the title of this fic, the series itself, and probably other fics in this series.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So what were you thinking of for dinner?” Kurt asks, cuddling on the couch with Blaine while finishing up season two of "Friends". Blaine’s been dying to rewatch it with Kurt, and since he had a three-day weekend, he decided to make the trip up to New York and surprise him. With Rachel back in Lima on a visit to her dads, the trip seemed to work out perfectly and provide them with some much-needed alone time.</p><p>“Since Rachel isn’t here, what do you think of something with chicken?” Blaine answers.</p><p> “Chicken Parm?” Kurt asks, knowing it's Blaine's favorite.</p><p>“You’re the best. Aside from the chicken and cheese, do we need anything else? I’m okay with making the trip to the store.” Blaine replies.<br/>
“I think we’re almost out of olive oil, eggs, and - oh! Can you pick up some of that sparkling water I like and some almond milk for breakfast tomorrow?” Kurt asks.</p><p>“Got it,” Blaine replies, making a list on his phone. “I’ll be back in twenty.” he says as he grabs his keys, kisses Kurt’s head, and heads out the door.</p><p>Kurt questions whether or not he should start the next episode, but instead decides on scrolling through his emails to see if his American Theatre professor answered his question about his midterm essay. </p><p>As he’s about to respond, thanking his professor for suggesting some topics to write about, Burt’s caller ID pops up on his phone. </p><p>“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”</p><p>He’s greeted with nothing but silence on the other line.</p><p>“Are you available to talk?” Burt asks rather shakily after a few seconds. </p><p>“Yeah, of course, is there something wrong? Are you alright?” Kurt asks, getting a bit worried because his dad rarely gets emotional with him, especially over the phone. His mind immediately goes to Burt’s health. </p><p>“It’s not me, it’s Finn.”</p><p>“What? What are you talking about?” Kurt presses.</p><p>“I was going to call you last night, but it was so late that I didn’t want to wake you,” Burt begins, but Kurt cuts him off.</p><p>“Dad, please, you’re scaring me, what’s going on?” Kurt pleads.</p><p>Burt takes one shaky breath and utters two words. Words that Kurt would’ve never thought he would have to hear Burt would use, at least not so soon.</p><p>“Finn’s gone.”</p><p>At first, Kurt thinks it's a joke. What does he mean “Finn’s gone”? This can’t be right, he just called him the other night!</p><p>“I swear to god, Dad, this isn’t funny. Stop joking around and put Finn on the line.”</p><p>He’s left to think the worst while Burt swallows the lump in his throat and wipes the tears that are forming from his eyes. Kurt’s worst fear is confirmed when Burt opens his mouth.</p><p>“Come on, kid, do you really think I’d joke about something like this?” Burt criticizes.</p><p> “Last night,” Burt pauses and takes a deep breath, “at around two in the morning, I went to go check on him to tell him goodnight and ask if he still wanted to go to that Browns game in a few weeks, and I found him lying in bed, unresponsive. We called an ambulance and got him to the hospital, but it was too late. The doctors said that it was a brain aneurysm that ruptured, causing a stroke. He passed in his sleep.” Burt finishes.</p><p>No, that can’t be right, Kurt thinks. Finn’s perfectly healthy, how could he have had a stroke? </p><p>Then he remembers watching a hospital drama a few months ago where a woman died from a ruptured brain aneurysm. He remembers a doctor saying that in some cases, all the person experiences is a really bad headache and blurred vision before they go unconscious from the drop in blood pressure caused by the internal bleeding.</p><p>As Kurt starts connecting the pieces, he feels his body get so heavy that he needs to sit down. He needs to get off the phone with his dad. He needs to pack. He needs to book a flight to Lima. He needs to go home.</p><p>“....is set for two weeks from now, and we’ll need your help with the specifics,” Burt explains. Kurt didn’t even remember his dad saying anything after he told him that Finn had passed in his sleep. Was he talking this whole time? How long had it been?</p><p>“Yeah, of course, I’ll book a flight tonight. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m sure my professors will understand. I’ve got to go, I love you so much, dad, goodbye.” He hangs up the phone before he can fully break down. No, he can’t break down, he needs to get home. He needs to be with his family. He can’t imagine what Burt and Carole must be feeling right now. And Rachel! Does Rachel even know? Who else knows? Was he the first one to find out? </p><p>He takes a deep breath and stands up from the couch. He feels so heavy, it's as if he'd ran a marathon after taking three or four steps. He tries his best to rid himself of the lead in his legs and starts to pack. He grabs his suitcase from under his bed and is stuffing underwear and socks in the outside pockets when Blaine returns. </p><p>“I’m back!” he exclaims while pulling the door open. “They didn’t have the sparkling water you like, but I looked up reviews for this other one online, and I - Kurt? What’s wrong?” </p><p>“I need to go. I need to go home. I need to book a flight. I need to go home. I need to go home.” Kurt repeats frantically as he rushes out of the bathroom with his toiletries. </p><p>“Kurt. Kurt. Kurt!” Blaine attempts to get his attention, but it’s no use. He does the only thing he can think of and wraps his arms around his fiancé, guides his head into the crook of his neck, and rubs his back until he stops muttering to himself. In a matter of seconds, Blaine feels the shoulder of his shirt moisten with tears. Quiet hiccups soon turn into violent sobs as what Kurt’s heard over the phone finally sinks in. </p><p>His brother and best friend is gone. </p><p>After a few seconds of sobbing into his fiancé’s shoulder, Kurt loses feeling in his legs and is thankful that Blaine is there to catch him. Blaine guides Kurt to his bed, lays him down, crawls into bed beside him, and pulls the covers over himself and Kurt. Kurt immediately turns to Blaine and positions himself with his head on his chest and continues to sob until he fully calms down about half an hour later.</p><p>“Kurt, can you tell me what happened?” Blaine asks carefully, not wanting to cause Kurt to break down again.</p><p>Kurt sits up and wipes his eyes and nose on his sleeve. Without looking at Blaine he explains.</p><p>“My dad called,” Kurt starts. Immediately, like Kurt, Blaine thinks it has something to do with his health. “Is he alright? Is it his heart?” Blaine asks.</p><p>“No no, he’s fine,” Kurt says. “It’s Finn.”</p><p>“What about him?” Considering Kurt’s reaction to the news, Blaine knows it’s anything but positive.</p><p>Kurt takes a deep breath, promising himself he’ll finish the story without breaking down in hysterics. “At around two in the morning last night, dad went up to Finn’s room to tell him goodnight and ask him if he still wanted to go to this football game they were looking forward to, but he found him lying in bed, not responding. They called an ambulance and rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. Dad told me the doctors said it was a brain aneurysm that burst, resulting in a stroke. He passed in his sleep.” Kurt finishes, gripping his hands, trying to stop them from shaking.</p><p>Blaine doesn’t believe what he’s hearing. From what he’s observed, Finn had been perfectly healthy. This can’t be right. He’d just seen Finn a few days ago and made plans for next Wednesday to have lunch at Breadstix together to discuss the setlist for regionals! Blaine doesn’t say anything for a few seconds while he processes everything. One of his best friends, one of the people he leaned on the most after Kurt left for New York, his teammate whose introduction wasn’t the best, but he grew to love and view as his own brother, is gone. </p><p>Forever.</p><p>“What do you mean ‘a stroke’? I just saw him a few days ago and he seemed fine!” Blaine argues, not convinced that his future brother-in-law is gone.</p><p>“A ruptured aneurysm isn’t very detectable. In some cases, the most people experience is a bad headache and blurred vision before they go unconscious from the drop in blood pressure caused by the internal bleeding. Knowing Finn, he probably thought it was migraines from stress or something.” Kurt explains tiredly. Blaine nods, remembering that Finn was always the “suffer in silence” type of guy. </p><p>“Oh my god, Kurt, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now.” Blaine says as he sits up and pulls Kurt into a hug, partially because he felt like Kurt needed it, partially because he needed it, and also partially to hide the tears forming and threatening to come down. He can’t break down now. Kurt needs him. Kurt’s been his rock time and time again, and now it's Blaine’s turn. </p><p>******</p><p>Kurt and Blaine spend the next few hours in bed together, with the occasional sob leaving Kurt, and Blaine rubbing his back and leaving kisses on his forehead while silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Even considering the circumstances, Kurt’s embarrassed. His normally calm and collected demeanor crumbled in a matter of seconds, leaving him a red-faced, snot-nosed mess.  </p><p>Blaine hasn’t eaten since noon, and he’s sure Kurt is dehydrated from all the crying, so he asks him if he wants anything. </p><p>“Not really, but I’d hate to let those groceries go to waste.” Kurt says while pushing the covers off of himself to get up and start dinner. As soon as he realizes what he’s doing, Blaine stops him. “Hey, don’t worry about tonight and tomorrow, alright? I’ll make dinner, book the flights back home, and pack for both of us. Just stay in bed and take some time to process everything.” He says. </p><p>Kurt responds with a gentle nod and just barely a smile. </p><p>He didn’t realize it then because he was so wrapped up in his grief, but looking back on that night, Kurt felt so blessed to have had someone as supportive and selfless as Blaine during that terrible time. He realized later that Blaine was trying his hardest to be strong for him, putting aside his own sadness and giving all his attention and love to Kurt, even if that meant having to suffer in silence for a while.</p><p>After untangling himself from Kurt and leaving a kiss on his temple, Blaine gets up and starts dinner.</p><p>He and Kurt eat together in silence, Kurt merely picking at and moving his food around on his plate and staring at the flower centerpiece in the middle of the dining room table. </p><p>Kurt rises from his chair to clean up and wash the dishes, but Blaine stops him and convinces him to go take a shower and get ready for bed.</p><p>Blaine knows that like Finn, Kurt isn’t one to let his suffering be known. He figured that Kurt would want some time alone, so he pretends not to hear the soft sobs coming in the direction of the bathroom. </p><p>After Kurt finishes his shower, brushes his teeth, and gets dressed, he crawls into bed, trying not to cry, as he thinks he’s done enough of that today.</p><p>After drying the last of the dishes and returning them back to their original spots in the cabinets, Blaine climbs into bed next to his fiancé and holds him as both of their tears return. An hour or so later, when Blaine’s certain that Kurt’s asleep, he tries his best to untangle himself from Kurt without waking him and gathers his clothes to take a shower.</p><p>As soon as Blaine locks the door behind him and starts the water, the tears stop and they don’t stop for a long while. </p><p>As his sobs get louder and louder, he remembers Kurt sleeping a few feet away from him, so he clasps his hands over his mouth and tries to level out his breathing. </p><p>As he showers, he can only think of Kurt and how alone he probably felt when he first heard the news. He starts to beat himself up over the fact that he wasn’t there, but tells himself that there wasn’t anything he could’ve done. It doesn’t stop him from feeling guilty, but it helps enough to continue his shower.</p><p>He stops for a minute while shampooing his hair and remembers Rachel. Does she know? How is she holding up? Then he remembers Carole, his future mother-in-law who’s probably crying herself to sleep at the same time he’s showering at the fact that she’ll never see her baby boy’s smile or hear his voice again. </p><p>The next thing he knows, he’s on the shower floor, feeling the water rain down on him and staring at his reflection in the shower faucet. He stays in the shower until the water runs cold and quickly brushes his teeth and gets dressed before he can break down again. </p><p>He crawls back into bed and Kurt, immediately feeling his presence, moves to rest his head on his chest. </p><p>Blaine doesn’t sleep that night. All he can think about is Finn, Kurt, Rachel, Carole, and Burt, and how the hell they’re going to get through this. He thinks of the rest of the glee kids, graduated and present, and how they're feeling at the moment. He pictures Mercedes getting the call in Los Angeles after recording a new single and needing to get home immediately to pack. He pictures Brittany and Santana hearing the news and trying their best to grieve separately but wanting to be in each other's arms more than anything.</p><p>All he knows is that right now, he needs to be part of Kurt’s support system, and vice versa. He knows that the grieving process is long and ugly, but he also knows that they’ll pick each other up and mend each other’s wounds for however long it takes until they’re both healed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to comment or dm me (my twitter handle is @uniturts on twitter) any constructive criticism or ideas you have for future fics (or just to talk, I need friends, lol)!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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